Lazzarini Design Studio has unveiled a giant turtle-shaped floating city concept for ultra-high-net-worth individuals. Measuring 550m long and 610m wide, the terayacht project, Pangeos, is estimated to cost around US $8bn and is likely to be located at the King Abdullah Economic City in Saudi Arabia, the design firm noted.
According to a statement, once work kicks off, it will take approximately eight years for completion. It is expected to be double the size of the Roman Colosseum, and would be able to host 60,000 guests at its peak.
“At the moment, Pangeos is just a concept, but it’s starting to become something more than a computer animation. The terayacht proposal takes its name from Pangea, the super-continent that existed millions of years ago during the late Paleozoic and early Mesozoic eras,” said Lazzarini Design Studio Founder Pierpaolo Lazzarini.
In November 2021, Neom said it would build the world’s largest floating structure and, in December 2021, Kempinkski said it would build the world’s first floating resort in Dubai.
He added, “Guests can unwind by staying in one of the many hotels, exploring its plethora of shopping centres, parks, beach clubs, resorts, as well as ship and aircraft ports.”
Lazzarini said that the terayacht would have its very own shipyard built specifically for its creation, and would be launched out of Saudi Arabia. He noted, “A terayacht needs a terashipyard; the conception of a similar-sized vessel, involves the realisation of a specific shipyard/dam infrastructure that floods to levitate the terayacht when it will be launched.”
The project scope is said to include dredging work of one square km of sea by building a circular dam. Once dried, it will become possible to start preparing the basement area, he added.
In July 2022, the Saudi Crown Prince unveils designs of The Line, revealing future city will be just 200m wide.
According to Lazzarini, the floating structure subdivides the spaces in different blocks and the impressive sizes of the Pangeos structure creates an unlimited possibility in terms of layout and facilities.
“The hull is subdivided into about 30,000 cells. This space provide an unsinkable floating solution for the basement, which is composed by cluster compartments and connected by corridors. With 30m of draft, the ship’s enormous hull is made up of nine different bows and subdivided into several blocks. The structure also boasts a giant gate aft that allows vessels to enter the floating metropolis.”
He concluded, “It would be powered by nine high-temperature superconductor (HTS) engines, each fully electric motor capable of 16,800hp and powered by various onboard energy sources.”